OBL at Pine Hills Eco Camp - Saga of a Grade Seven Class (Useful Stuff For Principals, Teachers, Parents, Grand Parents, Students)

OBL at Pine Hills Eco Camp – Saga of a Grade Seven Class

(Useful Stuff For Principals, Teachers, Parents, Grand Parents, Students)

  Rashmi, Grade 7, from a leading school in a big city, is not really into nature. She would rather be at the City Centre with a group of friends, mobile in hand, going for a pizza or a giant burger – that’s fun for her & why not, most kids love to do that.  She lands up against her wishes at Pine Hills along with 40 classmates uand a couple of teachers for their annual camp – how boring! But she finds a way to be happy – with a couple of like-minded girls they chitter chatter in a tent, sharing their Cadburys & chips, while others are wandering and exploring the hills.

  The bell rings, whistle is blown and it’s time for the challenging Pine Hills Ropes Course. Reluctantly, Rashmi & her friends drag their feet to the start point – it’s compulsory to be there & they are basically disciplined kids.

  After the demo by the ustad is given & guiding principles of technique & safety are explained by the senior Facilitator, the boy who leaps forward to do the first obstacle – the Commando Bridge – is Varun. He had been the perkiest of them all since arrival at the camp – he was everywhere; he wanted to be like Don Bradman – very impressive ambition indeed. He climbs up the ladder, puts his left foot on the first rung of the Commando Bridge and then – yes and then – his legs start trembling. He is encouraged, motivated by the instructors & teachers to go on but NO says he in a quivering voice. “Hey, Varun, you can do it – don’t come down!” says a loud, emphatic, girlish voice – it’s Rashmi!! But Varun climbs down, rather embarrassed. His image had always been of a brave, pushing lad.

  So the teacher announces that Rashmi will be the first one to do it. Rashmi’s face paled on hearing this. “What have I landed myself in?” Rashmi must have thought. But her pride did not allow her to back down. She slow-marched to the ladder, climbed up even slower, distinctly nervous, put her left foot on the first rung of the Commando Bridge – total silence – she was never known as the outdoor, adventurous kind -  some voice perhaps in the stomach said something & Rashmi heaved herself up, took the first step forward & hesitated – the long walk ahead on the rungs seemed unnerving. “Rashmi, walk as though you are on the cat walk”, said the Facilitator, encouraging.  And Rashmi, 13 years old, started walking like a super model on a ramp, rung after rung. Half way, stopped a moment,  so much up above the ground she was, the cool breeze floated her hair about, bunches of pine needles on the trees whispering soft wavy sounds so close by – “Nature isn’t so bad after all”, she was obviously thinking – now the applause & encouragement from her classmates was loud and clear, she posed for a photo with a big wide smile, lots of clicking, Rashmi had become a hero in the forest, far, far away from the City Centre. She came down amidst clapping. Wow! “Hey, Rashmi, I didn’t know you were so great,” her expression suggested that this is what she was saying to herself.

“Well done, well done, well done…” so many voices.

  The story isn’t over yet. Facilitator was asking “Varun, what’s the motto of Pine Hills Ropes Course written on that placard?” “Sir, ‘I can, I will’ is the motto”. We’ll tell you the next part of the saga of this camping class soon. We find it very exhilerating, very fulfilling with these kids. Next Blog – a few days away.